


Who Will Keep Me Safe?

by the_obiwan_for_me



Series: She Said the Word AU [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bo-Katan and Ursa are platonic not lovers, Drug Use, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Gen, Headcanon, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Miscarriage, One Shot, Please heed the warnings and tags, Pre Vizsla is a raging asshole, Rape/Non-con Elements, Ursa has Bo-Katan's back, Your boy Tol'ket has a brief cameo so there's that, there is almost nothing nice about this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_obiwan_for_me/pseuds/the_obiwan_for_me
Summary: **PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MIND THE TAGS AND WARNINGS**A "She Said the Word" AU one shotWhen Bo-Katan is all but abandoned by her Clan in the middle of a war zone, she is taken in by a dangerous group led by a brutal man.
Relationships: Bo-Katan Kryze/Pre Viszla, Bo-Katan Kryze/Ursa Wren, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze
Series: She Said the Word AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942408
Comments: 13
Kudos: 81





	Who Will Keep Me Safe?

**Author's Note:**

> **Again, please heed the warnings and tags. This is way darker than the main story with A LOT of potentially triggering content. Very little is truly graphic, but it is very apparent what is going on.**
> 
> I got this stuck in my head after discussing Bo-Katan/Pre Vizsla/Death Watch head canon, and I wasn't going to relax until I finished it. 
> 
> Please note, this is a spin off of my ongoing AU, "She Said the Word." If you haven't been reading that, this will get confusing after awhile (though this is my general head canon for Bo in canon, as well). For readers of "She Said the Word, this spans from the time Satine, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon go on the run through the events of chapter 19. Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> One more warning about the triggery stuff in here. I hope I covered all my bases. I'm sorry if I didn't. I don't want to hurt people with my dark and twisty brain!

_38 BBY, 15 years old_

Bo-Katan stood next to the Kryze woman she barely knew, looking at the rubble that had been the Clan Kryze house.

A week ago, it had stood tall and proud, with the Clan Kryze banners billowing in the soft breeze.

Now it was gone. Everything was gone.

"Satine?" Bo-Katan asked the woman.

"Your sister is safe," the woman replied, her voice tinny through her helmet's modulator.

"But where is she?" Bo pulled at the chest plate of her armor. It wasn't made for her, and it chafed, but it was better than nothing.

"That I do not know," the woman said.

"How do you know she's safe if you don't know where she is?" Bo felt her cheeks flush with anger under her helmet.

"She is with the Jedi. They will keep her safe." 

"Then who will keep me safe?" Bo asked softly, more to herself. It had always been about Satine. Satine was groomed from birth to be the ruler of Mandalore. Their parents had seen to it. Bo had spent her life as an afterthought to the adults in her life. But Satine had always kept Bo close. Bo had always felt important to Satine. Had always felt safe with Satine, even when they had sparred or fought.

Now Satine was gone.

"I will keep you safe, Bo. Come, we mustn't linger."

Bo-Katan looked one last time at the pile of duracete that has once been her family's home. Then turned to follow the woman back toward the speeder bike they had arrived on. 

As the sun set over the bleached, gritty plains, Bo was thankful that her helmet hid her face. Hid her tears. 

It would not be the last time she would be grateful to hide behind that helmet.

* * *

  
  


The woman kept her safe for a week. 

Then, like everyone else, the woman died.

Bo-Katan fought and hid and cried her way through a battle ravaged Sundari for three weeks. Usually hungry, always exhausted, sometimes terrified. She considered trying to figure out how to contact the Jedi on Coruscant. Maybe they could get her to her sister. But she could never make it happen. 

At the end of the third week, she was captured. Or, more accurately, she gave up. She was too tired and hungry to go on, so she let the commandos sweep her up. She went willingly with the enemy.

Were they the enemy? She wasn't even sure which side her family had been on at this point, and now they were all gone. It didn't matter to Bo-Katan anymore. It mattered even less when they fed her and gave her shelter.

She was their prisoner for two days before they gave her a gun and told her who to shoot. For three meals a day and a cot in a warm room to sleep on, she obliged.

She met their leader a week later.

He was big and imposing, and wore the Vizsla crest with pride. He rapped her helmet hard with his knuckles when he met her. 

"Let me see your face, string bean," he growled, looming over her. 

She sneered at the teasing name. She hated being reminded about her gangly body. She followed orders, though, and pulled her helmet off, her long, fire red braid tumbling out over her shoulder.

He gave her a long, appraising look. She tried not to fidget under his cold gaze, but it was hard not to. He was so _intense._

He wrapped a hand around her braid, giving it a hard tug as he grinned wickedly at her. "A Kryze defector, huh?"

She didn't bother arguing the point that there wasn't much to defect from, or mention that she was just glad to be fed. 

Pre Vizsla took her under his wing after that, carefully honing her skills, making her ruthless. She _had_ to be ruthless. The men and women she fought alongside were hard, harsh, brutal. She'd been raised to be fierce. She knew how to fight. She knew how to push on through pain and fatigue. But these people brought new meaning to "warrior” for Bo-Katan.

Vizsla was especially ruthless. He demanded and expected perfection, especially from her, it seemed, and he was quick with his fists when she failed. But his praise buoyed her, thrilled her, despite its rarity. So, she worked ten times as hard to earn it.

He held court on the rare nights they weren't fighting, or, as the months dragged on, running, and spoke of the atrocities that Clan Kryze had brought down on the Mandalorian people. She often wondered if he said those things to try to goad her into a fight. Test her loyalties. She wasn't dumb. She kept her mouth shut. Learned to nod and smile. She didn't really disagree with him on some points, anyway. 

She often lay awake at nights, and wondered about Satine. She wondered what Satine had said when she realized they wouldn't wait for Bo-Katan's return from Kalevala. She hoped she was safe, like Bo was safe. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


_37 BBY, 16 years old_

Much to Pre Vizsla's horror and that of the other leaders of their side, they lost.

The last few days on Mandalore were brutal and crazy, but, as she and a few other commandos huddled in the back of a friendly cantina, planning their next move in their retreat, Bo-Katan caught sight of Satine on a holoscreen over the bar. It was showing some newsreel of Satine's celebrated return to her rightful place as the ruler of Mandalore. 

On the screen, Satine was flanked by two Jedi. One was incredibly tall and broad, with long dark hair and beard, shot through with silver. He kept a paternal hand on Satine's shoulder as she was greeted by the victorious clan heads. 

The other man was much younger, looked close to Satine's age. He was not nearly as tall as the older man- really just a bit taller than Satine- and his face was clean shaven and handsome, though she guessed he was probably often teased for having a baby face. Unlike the older man, his protective posture toward Satine sung of a different type of affection. In the holo, Satine glanced to him, and he placed a gentle hand on her arm; a reassuring, steadying gesture.

Satine looked tired, overwhelmed, and beautiful. Bo's heart broke. Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at her sister, as someone in their group spat and called Satine _dar'manda._ Thank goodness for the helmet.

They were exiled to Concordia. 

It wasn't a bad place. The beskar strip mines had done a number on it but it was healing. Unlike the plains around Sundari and almost everywhere else on Mandalore, Concordia had some actual life. The exiled commandos licked their wounds and trained. Pre already talked of plots to undermine Satine's rule. Bo nodded at the right times. Of course, Pre deserved to be the rightful ruler. He had the darksaber, after all.

* * *

  
  


_36 BBY, 17 years old_

Bo-Katan waited at the bottom of the ramp as Pre disembarked from the shuttle. He wore a New Mandalorian style tunic and trousers, but he still looked imposing. He pulled her into an embrace, which she accepted willingly. He was jovial, practically gleeful, so she wouldn't do anything to compromise his mood. 

"Your idiot sister just named me governor of Concordia, Bo," he said into her hair. "She has no idea who I really am. We all but have free rein to build Death Watch into a proper invading army now."

She smiled. "That's good, Pre, excellent even," she said. "You'll have control over everything here, right down to who and what is allowed in our orbit. It's brilliant."

He smiled back at her, then his eyes fell to her lips. She felt his body incline toward her just a bit, and she thought he would kiss her. But he pulled back, let her go. She felt a strange, confusing mix of disappointment and relief.

He walked off. She knew to follow him, and quickly. "Exactly, Bo, exactly," he was saying as she fell into step with him. "But I'll need your help. I do _actually_ have to govern, so my time will be split. You'll have to keep things going with Death Watch."

She scoffed. "I'm seventeen. They aren't going to listen to me."

He stopped, swung around on her sharply, grabbing her arm painfully. She fought back the wince that followed his vice like grip. "You're a natural leader, Bo, they'll listen. And they'll certainly listen when I'm done with them." He relaxed his grip, stroked her arm tenderly now. "We'll be a formidable team one day, Bo-Katan. You will rule Mandalore by my side, once we rid our people of your foolish sister."

Her heart soared at his praise, and the promises on his lips. 

* * *

  
  


_35 BBY, 18 years old_

He kissed her; a wild and fierce and passionate kiss; the night of her eighteenth birthday, in front of all of Death Watch. He had thrown her a party, a celebration that set her reeling. It had been loud, and raucous, and she had drunk far too much. It was everything a Mando'ade party should be.

She'd stumbled back to her room at the end of the party, uncaring of the hangover she knew she would suffer through the next day, because Pre had _kissed_ her.

She had had a few fumbling encounters with the younger women and men in Death Watch over the last three years. But each one's interest in her had quickly waned almost as soon as they had made their intentions clear. And everyone she had shown a spark of interest in had all but run from her. She'd all but given up, considered her tall, lean frame too unattractive to really be desirable. 

So, a kiss from Pre, a fiery one, much like the man himself, left her riding a high for days.

Their first time together was not what she expected.

She honestly didn't know _what_ to expect, to be fair, but she didn't think it would be a fast, rough rut on the sofa in the governor's office that he had summoned her to. It wasn't wholy unpleasant- he'd seen to her needs as well as his own- but whatever it was she was expecting, that hadn't been it.

It became clear to all of Death Watch that Bo-Katan was Pre's. He'd all but marked her as his own. Everyone jumped at her word, much like they did his. And they tread carefully around her. It was intoxicating at first, the power it gave her, but it grew to feel isolating. She had had a camaraderie with the other commandos that seemed to be quickly vanishing.

* * *

  
  


_33 BBY, 20 years old_

Ursa Wren joined up with Death Watch. She'd not had anything herself to do with the war, as her home was Krownest, but she joined Death Watch to keep Pre happy, standing by her House name, she admitted to Bo-Katan.

They became close quickly, sharing a room in the Death Watch base. Bo was surprised at how open Ursa was with her about her feelings toward Pre's plans. "You have a trustable face," Ursa had told her when Bo pressed her on it.

Bo, in turn, shared about how she had all but fallen into Death Watch. She sometimes talked about missing Satine.

They shared their confliction over the hard lines both Satine and Pre drew in the sand. It was good to have someone to be completely honest with. 

Almost completely honest, that is.

Ursa noticed the bruises that Bo returned with after being alone with Pre. Bo knew Ursa knew. Or at least Ursa thought she knew. But she didn't press. Occasionally she'd rub bacta into bruises Bo couldn't reach. She would purse her lips and sigh. But she held her tongue.

  
  


* * *

  
  


_31 BBY, 22 years old_

Pre had returned from some brutal and bloody mission still raging and high on battle stims.

Bo-Katan hated him on battle stims. Beyond his brutal temper and aggression, the drugs made his sweat acrid and clingy. It would linger on her skin and cling to her clothes for days, forcing her to relive the minutes spent with him until the drug would wear off and he'd collapse in a heap of limbs and sleep the sleep of the dead.

He was particularly rough this night. And she made the mistake of trying to deny him. They had tussled before he had trapped her on the bed, but he seemed to forget she was a trained warrior. She fought for the upper hand, tossing him off of her and making a break for the door. He caught her by the braid, yanking it so hard her scalp screamed and the tendons in her neck felt like they had shredded. 

Too blinded by pain, she submitted to him.

When he had collapsed on top of her, spent, and instantly fell asleep, she watched the chrono from under him for fifteen minutes, waiting to be sure he was truly sleeping off his high. Then she worked her way loose of him, gasping at the blinding pain in her neck (not to mention the all too familiar thrum of ache after a night spent with post battle stims Pre).

She made her way gingerly to the Death Watch medic, making up a story of being clumsy. The medic gave her a long look, but didn't argue, assuring her that her injuries were just whiplash, and treating her pain. The medic called Ursa. Ursa took her back to their room, looking mad as hell, but saying nothing.

As dawn approached, Ursa held Bo as she wept, clinging to her fire red braid that Ursa had cut off for her. At one time, the long red hair had been Bo's one concession to vanity; the striking red color a constant source of compliments. But she had kept it for years now not because it was pretty but as the last of her happy memories- memories of Satine brushing it for her at night, spending rainy, quiet afternoons taking turns trying to get each other's hair to do the intricate things they'd see in holos of the Queen of Naboo or Alderaan, laughing til their sides hurt at their results.

But Ursa cut the braid off for her, protecting her. The physical representation of a happier time would _not_ be used as a weapon, as a restraint against her, ever again.

Pre never commented on the absence of her braid. He never mentioned that night, though he doted on her and showered her with gifts for weeks after. 

* * *

  
  


_28 BBY, 25 years old_

Pre was happy. Death Watch's last series of strikes against the New Mandalorian government had gone exceedingly well. They were small blows, more annoyances than anything, but chaos was good for shaking people's faith, Pre said.

Bo-Katan basked in his good mood. He'd sung her praises to the heavens during their celebration that night. She had, after all, spearheaded the operation. Ursa had led Death Watch in a rousing chant of Bo's name. Somehow, a drinking game was born in honor of her that night. 

And now she lay in Pre's arms, feeling boneless and warm and satiated. He smoked a death stick and sighed contently.

"It'll be ours soon, Bo. We'll rule over our warrior people, and, one day, our son will wield the darksaber and rule. And his son after." He chuckled. "Clan Vizsla and Mandalore will strike fear in the hearts of everyone across the galaxy, and for generations to come."

Bo stiffened at this line of talk. They had never discussed children. It wasn't something Bo had ever seen for herself, and the idea of children with Pre sent her stomach churning for some reason.

He pinched her not so playfully on the side, a signal that he thought he was due a response. She drew gentle circles on his broad chest, raised up and kissed him. " _K'oyacyi,_ my love," she said simply. That seemed to satisfy him, as he pulled her to straddle his hips and kissed her with the fiery passion she craved from him. 

If only she could have a happy Pre all of the time. Maybe his talk of sons wouldn't leave her feeling like she'd swallowed a stone.

* * *

  
  


_27 BBY, 26 years old_

Ursa, who had been gone on some mission in Sundari for weeks, found her in their room, looking at pictures of Satine and her family on the holonet, a habit Bo had developed over time when she was feeling particularly homesick. She certainly didn't agree with the stances Satine had taken for Mandalore, but she wished she could know her nephews and niece.

Ursa sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Stop crying," she said, swiping a tear off of Bo's cheek. "I have a good problem." 

Bo smiled at her. "What is it?"

"I met someone in Sundari. He's….oh my stars. He's amazing, Bo."

Bo laughed. She'd never seen Ursa like this. Ursa was fierce and cunning and had a biting sense of humor. But now she was practically girlish. Then it dawned on her.

"You met him in Sundari? Ursa…"

"He's a New Mandalorian. An artist." 

"Ursa, I'm happy you had some fun, but if Pre finds out…" Bo trailed off. She didn't need to finish the sentence. 

"I know, I know. I may ask him to go to Krownest. He'll be safer there," Ursa said, taking Bo's hand. She slid Bo's sleeve up, not even pretending to hide her search for bruises that didn't come from sparring or combat.

"It's that serious?"

"I love him, Bo. Pre cannot find out about him." Bo nodded. No, he couldn't. He'd kill this artist and Ursa. Possibly Bo, if he found out she knew.

Then the wave of nausea hit Bo, and she fled to the fresher. Ursa followed her in, rubbing her back soothingly. "You ok? Who's been cooking in the mess?"

"I'm ok. I think I have a little stomach bug. And I've been so tired," Bo said, sitting back against the wall, as Ursa handed her a cool, wet washcloth.

Ursa gave her a skeptical look. "Have you had your implant updated?"

Panic swept over Bo. "Oh shit. Oh no. Oh gods, Ursa, I can't, I can't. Pre...I don't want him to be the father of my children, Ursa."

Ursa wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Don't panic yet."

Ursa commed a female medic, one she knew held the same feelings she and Bo did. She could be trusted.

"You are pregnant, Bo," the medic told her when she did her scan. "He doesn't need to know, though, if that's what you really want."

"I don't know what I want," Bo said softly, her head resting on Ursa's shoulder. 

"You have time to think about it. You don't have to decide tonight." The medic squeezed her hand, packed up her things, and left surreptitiously. 

"You can't let him have a child, Bo. He'll have an heir, you'll be useless to him. He’ll kill you as soon as you inconvenience him. An heir of Kryze and Vizsla blood will make him think he's invincible," Ursa said all of it with heat and conviction and Bo knew in her heart she was right. She nodded. 

"If you want the baby, we'll go to Krownest. We'll run away. We'll take my artist and go." 

Bo smiled sadly at her friend. "I don't deserve you."

* * *

Bo's decision was made for her. A week later, a heavy booted kick to her belly from a battle stim raging Pre put an end to the dilemma. He had no idea what he had done.

Ursa held her hand while their trusted medic examined her. Bo didn't cry or grieve. She didn't really feel relief, either. She just felt numb. The medic updated her implant before she left. This would not happen again. 

* * *

  
  


_23 BBY, 30 years old_

"You can't be serious, Pre?" Bo said as he finished going over his latest plans. "We can't kill the Duchess' children. They're Mando'ade. That's...that's all but sacrilege."

Pre flashed her a dangerous look. "Those children are an abomination, Bo-Katan. They are the bastards of a _jetii_ and a woman who has forsaken the values of the Mando'ade. We cannot let them remain in line for the throne."

Bo swallowed hard. She would not be able to reason with him on this issue. He pointed a finger in her face, leaning in close. She could feel his breath on her face. "Do you understand me, Bo-Katan?" The others in the room were still and quiet. 

"Yes, Pre," she nodded stiffly.

He made sure she understood him that night.

As Ursa glued together a particularly nasty cut on Bo's eyebrow, Bo raged herself for once. "There is a _limit,_ Ursa. And he's crossed it."

"I would have said he crossed it the first time he hit you, but, I do agree with you on this," Ursa said, dabbing at another cut.

They made plans. Ursa gathered like minded commandos. It turned out not everyone felt as strongly about Pre Vizsla's hardline view of the Mandalore of the future as Pre Vizsla did. 

* * *

  
  


_22 BBY, 31 years old_

Bo fidgeted nervously in front of the holo projector in the back room of a pub. Ursa and their medic friend stood guard outside the door. She didn't even know if her call would be accepted.

It was.

A dark man in a Protector uniform took it. "Fucking Death Watch?" he growled at her.

"That's polite," she said, feigning a relaxed and casual stance. "I need to talk to Kenobi."

He scoffed. "You're insane. I'm not letting you talk to him." 

Then I'll keep calling until you do. I have information for him." She crossed her arms defiantly. 

"Tell me, then. I will pass it on." 

"Fuck you. Kenobi, now."

The dark man studied her for a long minute, before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He wagged a finger at her, opened his mouth to say something, before having a second thought. "Just...just wait." 

She _did_ talk to Kenobi. She had wanted to ask him a thousand questions about his children and Satine. But instead, she stuck to her hard, defiant Death Watch persona.

She did what she had to do. She made the connection. He knew now to be mindful. Watch out for his children.

* * *

  
  


Pre made his first move. He moved fast, almost too fast. The commandos that were to sabotage the shuttle were already on the ground.

As soon as the briefing was through she feigned a list of tasks she needed to attend to and fled back to the pub. To the secret holoprojector.

The dark man took her call again. "What?" 

"The shuttle," she was out of breath. "Don't let them on the shuttle."

He looked at her skeptically. "What about the shuttle?" 

"What do you think, you _di'kut?_ It's going to explode!" This man was infuriating.

"When?" 

No. He was dense. "Are they leaving for Coruscant now?" 

"Yes. I just saw them off."

"Then now. It's set to go off. Or now-ish." He stared at her. "GO! Stop them." He seemed to shake himself free of his stupor. He gave her a quick nod and then his image blinked out.

* * *

  
  


_21 BBY, 32 years old_

Bo-Katan had a nice view of the party. Naboo was gorgeous, especially this particular evening, and she wished she could strip out of her beskar and jump in the lake. It sparkled in the starlight.

Kenobi and his men had acted quickly in finding and disarming all the bombs. Bo had knocked heads together on her side of things, shot one particularly troublesome commando for failing at his job. He hadn't actually. He was a problem for her extended plans. And an asshole. So she him her scapegoat.

She pulled her rangefinder down and scanned the dance floor. The bride and groom looked to be on a completely different planet. She found Satine and Kenobi, not really dancing, but on the dance floor in each other's arms, deep in discussion. 

She scanned again. The other boy was sitting at a table, chatting animatedly with a Togruta girl. She scanned again, looking for the little one. Tensed when she didn't see her immediately. Then she saw a flurry of activity on a lower level, watched the little one climb onto a railing, and then _jumped_ into the lake below _._ Bo cackled. She was definitely a Kryze.

* * *

  
  


She made it back to Concordia in time to see Ursa off. She was heavily pregnant and was off to have her baby at home on Krownest. With her artist husband, but Pre didn't know that. He assumed she'd just gotten knocked up by any number of the other commandos.

She hugged her friend, rubbed her belly, saying goodbye to the little warrior about to make her appearance. 

"Be careful, Bo," Ursa whispered in her ear. "He's angry. He may suspect something." 

"I'll be careful," she whispered back.

She went to see Pre. A guard wouldn't let her into his office. "He asked not to be disturbed." 

"He'll want to see me," she growled.

"Even you, Bo-Katan. He specifically said you." 

She shoved the guard away and plowed through the door, catching a quick glimpse of a tall man with a silver beard on Pre's holoprojector before Pre smashed the control and shut it off.

He growled furiously at her. "I told him I didn't want to be disturbed!" He shoved her aside, palmed the door open and shot the guard. "Failure." The man dropped to the floor.

"Pre, karabast. That was unnecessary-" he knocked the words and air out of her lungs as he shoved her roughly against the wall, his hand at her throat.

"What happened on Naboo?" he asked her, slamming her against the wall again. 

She wrapped her hands around his forearm. "Pre, stop."

"What happened, Bo-Katan?" he growled again.

"Bertr'ad betrayed us. Leaked information to the Protectors. They disarmed the bombs."

Pre let her go, turned on his heel. She crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. "Bertr'ad has been a loyal member of Death Watch since its inception, Bo. Why would he turn on us now?"

She stood, moved to sit on the sofa. "He refused to speak." 

"Maybe he'll speak for me, then." 

"Unless you can talk to the dead, then I don't think he will. I shot him for treason." 

He grinned maliciously. "Overkill, don't you think, Bo?" He grasped her chin tightly between his fingers and tipped her head up to look at him.

"Overkill like shooting Jac for letting me in?"

He chuckled. "You and your smart mouth." He stepped closer, invading her space. "Ah, well. It's good to see you finally hardening to do your role properly. A swift and decisive hand is what keeps our people sharp." He leaned down and kissed her viciously. "Now maybe you should put that smart mouth to better use." 

* * *

  
  


Pre only became more ferocious and secretive in the months that followed. He spent more and more time taking meetings with mystery guests, and refused to share with her what he was doing. What he was planning. Her gut told her he was on to her, just waiting for her to slip.

So, she became more brutal. She accepted no failure. Punishment was dealt out swiftly and violently, though she was strategic. She followed Pre's example, shooting those who she felt failed her, and they were always the ones who could get in her way in her long game, saving those loyal to her from her wrath.

She missed Ursa. They talked frequently, especially after Sabine was born, as middle of the night on Krownest when Ursa would be up feeding Sabine was also late at night for Bo on Concordia.

"I'm getting concerned he's on to me," Bo confessed one night.

Ursa bounced Sabine in her arms, trying to calm the fussy girl. "What are you doing about it?"

"I'm being mean as hell," Bo said, grinning slightly.

Ursa laughed. "But what are you really doing?"

Bo rubbed her forehead, deep in thought. "He's up to something, but I don't know what. I think I need to speed things up. Accelerate everything." 

Ursa stilled and studied her. Tiny Sabine even seemed to sense her mother's concern, as she went quiet, looking up at her mother’s face. "You need me." 

"Ursa, come on, don't be a _di'kut._ You have a newborn. What would Alrich say?"

"He's going to say I should help my friend," Ursa said simply.

"I can't ask you to do that, Ursa." 

"You're _not_ asking. I'm _telling_ you I'm coming, right Sabine?" She smiled down at the baby girl before looking up at Bo.

"You're a crazy bitch, Ursa."

Ursa cackled. "I know. That's why you love me."

* * *

  
  


"Ursa?!" Pre barked in surprise as Ursa marched down the ramp of her ship, a few days later, Sabine strapped to her beskar chest plate. "Why are you back so soon?"

"I got bored at home," she said simply as she pushed past him. "What? Didn't you miss me?"

Bo smirked under her helmet at her friend's boldness.

Pre kept Bo closer to him after Ursa returned, adding to their suspicion that he felt something was up. Bo spent more and more nights in the governor's mansion, Pre sleeping draped over her as if to hold her prisoner in his bed. He seemed to know the clock was ticking, so Pre tightened his grip on Bo, in every sense.

  
  


* * *

The explosion at the Memorial Shrine in Sundari tipped Pre's hand for Bo-Katan. When she heard about it, that was the moment she knew he was on to her. She should have known about it. Been in on its planning, and, instead, she found out after the fact. 

"We must move carefully," Ursa said that afternoon. "If he's leaving you out of operations, it's only a matter of time before _you_ are the target."

Satine, Kenobi, and their Jedi friend threw all of their planning out the window. And it happened fast.

Within the span of an hour, the Jedi had been caught in the mine and freed by Kenobi. Pre had shown up, back in his armor, with Satine as his prisoner, forcing her to her knees in front of the lift from the mine. A bolt of panic raced through Bo at the sight of Satine, but Ursa laid a steadying hand on her arm.

Pre, to his credit, did not out Bo-Katan to her sister as the two of them exchanged ugly barbs. Bo's heart swelled with pride for her sister. Even held as prisoner by the man who had been trying to kill her and her children, she didn't cower in fear.

The next few minutes went in a blur. Kenobi and the Jedi stumbled out of the lift and into Pre's trap. Pre motioned to Bo to take Satine, and, for a moment, as Bo hauled her sister to her feet and pulled her to the side, Kenobi locked eyes with her. He recognized her.

Kenobi fought Pre with the finesse and grace of a dancer. Pre was strong and highly trained, but whether it was Kenobi's supernatural gifts or just plain stronger skills, he kept Pre on his toes, until, suddenly, he had Pre on his knees instead. Pre's darksaber, Kenobi's blue bladed lightsaber crossed under Pre's chin. Pre goaded Kenobi into finishing the job.

This wasn't the plan. Not really, but it was close enough. Bo had only a moment to seize this opportunity. She glanced to Ursa, who gave her an imperceptible nod. A few other trusted commandos did, too. 

She turned one blaster quickly from where she held it to Satine's temple and fired.

Pre crumpled to the ground at Kenobi's feet. Bo blinked furiously under her helmet to fight back the tears of relief. 

She forced herself to focus, move into damage control. She stepped around Satine, feigning more confidence than she felt, as she improvised, making this strange turn of events in her favor.

“If anyone questions Kenobi’s legitimate victory and rightful claim to Mand’alor, speak up now," she said to the surrounding crowd. 

Someone grumbled a dissent. Ahh, yes. Erol. He'd been on her watch list. She shot him between the eyes. 

The crowd was silent. Kenobi stood in shock. "Anyone else?” she asked. “No? Good?"

She sighed, glanced one more time at Pre's lifeless body. Searched herself for grief. Or maybe some remorse. She felt none. He was gone. Her only feeling was of relief.

She holstered her blasters, and pulled her helmet off. Satine's gasp cut her like a knife. 

"Bo-Katan!"

Satine was safe. Bo-Katan was safe. Now they could start over.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I kinda blame ZeldaRose579 for this! lol I got this so so so stuck in my head. I had to get it out. Don't worry. The next chapter of "She Said the Word" is underway....but it might be a little behind since this got in the way!


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